All entries
2,161 entries so far, best known first. 3,219 more are on the list to be written. Narrow by region, kind, purpose, practitioner, belief world, occasion or how alive it is.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
馃嚘馃嚭 AustraliaSmoking ceremony
A ritual using herbal smoke for cleansing and welcoming among Aboriginal AustraliansRite 路 Cleansing and purification 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚦馃嚳 New Zealand and 5 moreFace tattoo
Marks inked on the face for spiritual protection, identity, rank, and rite of passageTradition 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesKahuna
A Hawaiian expert or priest, keeper of hidden knowledge in craft and spiritTradition 路 Healing 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚦馃嚳 New Zealand and 2 morePolynesian mythology
The oral traditions and legends of the Polynesian peoples across the PacificTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚮馃嚭 VanuatuLand divingnanggol
A ritual jump from a wooden tower using vines to ensure a good harvestRite 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚨馃嚞 Papua New GuineaKula ring
A ceremonial gift network in the Trobriand Islands that circulates shell valuables to build social status.Tradition 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚬馃嚧 Tonga and 5 moreTabootapu
A cultural prohibition that marks something as forbidden or sacredBelief 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚮馃嚭 VanuatuJohn Frum
A Melanesian cargo cult figure on Tanna Island who promises wealth and the return of American supplies.Figure 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚝馃嚡 FijiFijian mythology
The traditional beliefs and stories of the indigenous people of FijiTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚮馃嚭 Vanuatu and 3 moreKastom
A Melanesian term for traditional life, covering magic, law and ritualTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚮馃嚭 Vanuatu and 5 moreKava culture
A shared ritual across Oceania where a root brew marks ceremony, respect, and social gathering.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚫 United StatesHawaiian religion
The traditional spiritual practices of the Indigenous people of Hawai驶i, centered on deities and ancestral guardians.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚦馃嚳 New Zealand and 5 moreTapu
A Polynesian concept of sacred restriction and spiritual prohibitionTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚘馃嚭 AustraliaWelcome to Country
A ceremony performed by Aboriginal elders to welcome visitors to their landRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚦馃嚳 New ZealandTaniwha
Supernatural beings of M膩ori lore, acting as guardians or dangerous predators in water and earthBeing 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚨馃嚞 Papua New GuineaWitch-hunts in Papua New Guinea
Violent attacks on people accused of sorcery, mainly women and girlsBelief 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚘馃嚭 AustraliaThe Dreaming
A worldview of ancestral creation and eternal law in Australian Aboriginal cultureTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚦馃嚳 New ZealandTohunga
A M膩ori expert practitioner of sacred or secular arts, from priests to carvers.Tradition 路 Healing 路 Seeing and foretelling Living
馃嚘馃嚭 AustraliaRainbow Serpent
A creator spirit of water and land in Aboriginal Australian mythologyBeing 路 Healing 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚘馃嚭 Australia and 1 moreTattoo
A permanent mark made by placing pigment under the skin to form a design.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚦馃嚳 New ZealandKarakia
M膩ori recitations used for spiritual guidance, protection, and formal greetingsTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚘馃嚭 AustraliaDaramulum
A one-legged sky hero of south-east Aboriginal culturesBeing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚨馃嚟 Philippines and 1 moreTaotao Monataotaomo'na
Ancestral spirits of the Mariana Islands who guard wild places and influence daily lifeBeing 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚮馃嚭 Vanuatu and 3 moreMana
A spiritual force of power and authority in Oceanic culturesBelief 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚨馃嚞 Papua New GuineaBaloma
Spirits of departed kin who, Trobrianders hold, place each new child in the wombBeing 路 Love and attraction Living
馃嚦馃嚳 New Zealand and 1 moreManaia
A composite guardian spirit in M膩ori art and beliefBeing 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚘馃嚭 AustraliaCleverman
A traditional Aboriginal healer and cultural keeper in Australia with varied magical abilities.Being 路 Healing 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚘馃嚭 Australia and 3 moreNelson (cricket)
A cricket superstition about the score 111 and the leg-raising ritual to ward it offBelief 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚭馃嚘 Ukraine and 5 moreBullroarer
A wooden slat on a string that produces a roaring sound for ritual and communication.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Taniwha: Pseudopanax at en.wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Rainbow Serpent: unknown (as drawn by an Aboriginal), Public domain, source
- Kahuna: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Polynesian mythology: Makemake at de.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kula ring: Bendeguz, Public domain, source
- Taboo: Jonathan McIntosh, CC BY 2.0, source
- John Frum: Tim Ross, CC BY 3.0, source
- Kastom: Graham Crumb, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kava culture: Jaejay77, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hawaiian religion: Jacques Arago, Public domain, source
- Welcome to Country: Bidgee, CC BY-SA 3.0 au, source
- Witch-hunts in Papua New Guinea: The original uploader was Dr. Blofeld at English Wikipedia ., Attribution, source
- Mimi: Photo by and 漏2002 Dustin M. Ramsey ( Kralizec! ), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Manaia: Sarang, Public domain, source
- Tattoo: Muyayo tattoo, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- The Dreaming: September 1985, Public domain, source
- Smoking ceremony: Shillings1005, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tohunga: Gottfried Lindauer, Public domain, source
- Face tattoo: Gottfried Lindauer, Public domain, source
- Nelson (cricket): Lemuel Francis Abbott, Public domain, source
- Land diving: Paul Stein, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mana: Unknown author, Public domain, source